A Will To Live
by Goddess Trinity
Summary: Angie Greene is suffering from a tumor in her brain. When all doctors tell her that they can't save her, her father takes her to Black Jack. Can Black Jack save her in time? No flames, please!
1. Meeting the godly doctor

_Authors note: This is my very first Black Jack fanfiction! So you all know, I'm relatively new to the series (I haven't been able to find the manga or scanlations of it anywhere!) so I've been going by the anime and I've looked it up. Please, if you notice something that seems out of place regarding the series, kindly let me know and I can revise it! But please don't flame me about it, either! Now, Angie Greene pays homage to two characters from two different series. Her first name comes from Angie Thompson from the Trauma Center series, and her last name Greene comes from Dr. Mark Greene from the E.R. series (who died from the same illness that Angie currently has) With that being said, I own no characters except for Angie and her family. I hope you enjoy this, and I'm sure that I will enjoy writing this!_

Fourteen year old Angie Greene looked out the window of her father's car, watching the buildings pass by. However, she could not stare at them long, for it gave her a nasty headache. The sun was shining brightly that day, and the white clouds cast against the blue sky were absolutely beautiful.

"How are you holding up, Angie?" Her father asked, reaching behind him and squeezing her knee gently. She smiled at the affectionate gesture and wiggled her knee.

"Okay. My vision hasn't doubled yet, so I think I'll be fine for now." She said as he brought his hand back to the steering wheel. Angie could only hope that her vision wouldn't double today, but it was inevitable. It would double, and then the headache would come, just like it did every single day.

"Dad, why are we seeing another doctor today? He's just going to say the same exact thing as every other doctor." She said quietly, rubbing her temples with her fingers. About two months ago, she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Since then, her father had spent thousands of dollars on doctors, looking for one who could operate on her, but they had all said that it was far too risky to even try and remove the tumor. Her father would spend all night researching doctors, trying to find just the one.

"I think that he might be the one, Angie. Everybody says that he can cure any disease and perform any surgery. Let's just give it one last try, kiddo." He said as he turned the car right. Her mother had died when she was about seven from Leukemia, and she had to wonder how her father was handling her illness.

"Dad, I'm sorry." Angie blurted out without thinking. She felt bad that he was trying so hard to save her when she could not be saved. She had accepted the fact that she was going to die. There was no use in running away from the inevitable.

"About what, Angie?" He asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror with raised eyebrows. She thought for a moment, and decided to not say anything. It would be better if she didn't say what she was sorry about; it might make him cry again.

"Nothing, nevermind." She said, opening the window to let in some fresh air. She could smell the sea on the wind as her father drove up a hill. Angie stuck her head out the window, curious to see where he was taking her that was so close to the ocean. On the end of the cliff was a cabin, and a large one at that!

"This isn't the hospital…" she said as she stuck her head back into the car. Why was he taking her here? Wasn't he taking her to a doctor?

"Angie, the doctor lives here. He owns a clinic, which is also his house." He said as he stopped the car. He put it into park and he climbed out, Angie following. She could hear the gulls crying above them, the sound of the waves crashing against the cliff soothing.

"Now, Angie, be on your best behavior. Remember your manners, and if this doesn't work out…We'll keep on searching. I promise that you will live, Angie." He said, giving her a hug. She didn't say anything as he rang the doorbell.

"Coming!" A small voice said, running towards the door. It swung open, and at first, it didn't look like anybody was there. Angie looked ahead, confused.

"Um…Down here." The voice said, and Angie looked down. Before her was a small girl with short red hair.

"Can I help you with something?" The girl asked Angie's father, who couldn't stop staring at the small girl.

"O-oh, uh…We have an appointment with…" He reached into his pocket and withdrew a slip of paper. He read the name off of it with a confused look on his face.

"Dr. Black Jack?" He said, raising an eyebrow. Angie couldn't help but mimic the action. Who was named Black Jack?

"Ohhhh, you're his three o'clock! Doc! Your three o'clock appointment is here!" She said, inviting the two inside. They followed the girl into a small office, where a man was sitting at a desk, looking at something on a computer screen.

"Excuse me? Are you Dr. Black Jack?" Angie's father asked. The man twirled around, and Angie had to surpress a look of horror. He had a different color patch of skin on his face, and the scar was quite visible. His hair was black with white on one side. For some odd reason, it made her think of Frankenstein's monster. All that was missing were the bolts on the side of his neck.

"Yes, I am. And you are…" He started, his tone somewhat irritated. Angie wondered if they had bothered him. She hoped not, seeing as how her father had made an appointment ahead of time.

"Oh, I'm Derek Greene…" Derek said, giving Angie a nudge with his foot. Obviously, he wanted her to introduce herself.

"…Angie." She mumbled, not looking him in the eye. He was most likely going to say that he wouldn't be able to treat her; that her tumor was too risky to remove. There was no sense in being proper about it if she was just going to get the same disappointment.

"Did you bring her medical records?" Black Jack said, looking over Angie with observant eyes.

"Yes, here they are." Derek said, handing him a manila envelope. Angie knew that it contained all of the x-rays and scans that she had accumulated in the last two months. Before that, that folder had been relatively thin; now it was about the size of a school textbook. Black Jack took the folder and leafed through it, holding up a see-through picture of her CAT scan.

"When were you diagnosed with this tumor?" He asked, not taking his eyes off of the picture.

"Oh, she was-" Derek started, but Black Jack cut him off.

"I wasn't asking you. I was asking _her_." He said, jerking a thumb at Angie. She immediately looked up, startled at the firmness in his voice.

"Uh, about two months ago…" She said. Black Jack remained silent for a while, and then he rounded on Derek.

"Why did you allow the tumor to get this bad?" He said harshly. Derek winced as he looked at Angie sadly.

"W-well, all of the other doctors said that it was too risky to remove it. Even if they did remove it, they said that there is a chance that she may die from it, or that it will come back." He said, looking down.

"…I can remove the tumor." Black Jack said after several moments of silence. Both Derek and Angie looked up, Derek's face filled with hope. Angie couldn't believe it! He could remove the tumor!

"However…" Black Jack said, cutting their hope short. "_Of course, there's always a however"_ Angie thought bleakly.

"It's going to cost a lot…" He said, standing up. He faced Derek and didn't hesitate to name the price.

"One million dollars. That's my price for performing the procedure on your daughter." He said calmly. Angie felt her hope flush down the crapper. There was no way that her father had that kind of money! Sadly, she turned away to leave…

"Fine! I'll work for the rest of my life if it means that she can have a life too! I'll do anything! Just please save my daughter!" Derek said with firm finality in his voice. The room was silent for a moment.

"Fine. I'll operate on her tomorrow night. Pinoko, show Angie and her father where they'll be staying." Black Jack said, turning back to the computer screen.


	2. How it all goes

_I once again don't own any characters except for Angie and her Father. _

Angie patiently sat through the general examination that Black Jack had to give her. She was quite used to being poked and prodded by doctors, so it didn't faze her. Besides, she was eager for him to ask her to stick her tongue out and say ahh. She would be amused to see his reaction, seeing as how every doctor thought it was quite perplexing.

"Heart rate is healthy, blood pressure is fine. Your weight is low for your age, but I'm not too worried about that. Open your mouth and stick out your tongue." Finally! This was the moment she had been waiting for! Obediently, she opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. However, it didn't stick out straight like it was supposed to. It veered off to the left side of her mouth.

"Straight out, please." He said, giving her a hard stare. She had to wonder if he thought she was playing around with him.

"I can't. I haven't been able to for two months." She said, demonstrating once more. This time, it went off to the right side.

"Obviously, this tumor is interfering with a lot of your general motor skills. Even though you are telling your brain to stick your tongue out straight, the tumor is interfering and it goes to either side. This isn't good…" He mumbled as he looked into her mouth anyways. After several moments of going "ahhh" until she gagged, he finally let her stop and he picked up a scan of her brain.

"From what I'm seeing, your tumor is in the middle left side. It's not in too deep, but it will present further complications if left alone. I can't for sure tell if it's benign or malignant, but once I remove it completely, I'll be able to tell. From what I've read in your file, you have frequent headaches, double vision, and nausea almost every day." He read from the sheets of paper. Angie nodded her head. Same old story, same old description.

"Yeah. It hasn't happened yet today, but I know that it'll come. It always comes back. I…I can't even stand the light when the headaches come. It just feels like I'm going to die if I see any trace of light. That's why I haven't gone back to school yet. That's why I also don't go out often." Angie said sadly. How could she go from being healthy one day and then have a tumor in her brain the next?

"And the nausea is from the double vision, I assume?" Black Jack asked. Once again, Angie nodded.

"It's not just from the double vision. The headaches get so bad, I just…You know." She said, not wanting to go into details.

"Well, you're scheduled to have the tumor removed tomorrow evening, so you can't eat or drink for about twenty-four hours. I'll also have to shave your hair off." He said, looking at Angie's red hair. It wasn't too long, but she would miss it nonetheless.

"What's going to happen?" She said, trying to avoid the nervous feeling in her stomach.

"You'll be partially awake during the procedure, and I'll have Pinoko ask you questions while I operate. It tells me what the tumor is affecting based on your answers. You won't feel anything, and you'll be in and out of consciousness." Black Jack answered simply. Angie didn't like the thought of being awake while he was poking around in her brain, even if she couldn't feel it.

"Have you considered chemotherapy?" He asked Angie. She shook her head vigorously, which she would regret later.

"I did, but…All of those doctors said that it would be incredibly stressful on my body. I know what happens…You lose your hair, you always throw up…A lot of different, awful stuff happens to you…And it's scary…" She said, wishing that her father was there with her. Pinoko had told him to stay at a nearby hotel while she stayed at the clinic since there wasn't enough room for him to stay with Angie.

"Doc! I've made supper! Come and get it, darling!" Pinoko's small voice called out. Angie raised her eyebrow at the word 'darling'.

"Uh…Why did she just call you that? Isn't she your daughter?" Angie asked. A split second later, she felt the firm smack of a house slipper on the back of her head. There stood Pinoko, her face filled with irritated fury.

"I'm his WIFE! Sheesh, what's with everybody thinking that I'm his daughter?!" Pinoko demanded, clutching the small pink slipper in her tiny hand. Angie rubbed at the back of her head where Pinoko had so kindly smacked her.

"But aren't you just a little kid?" Angie foolishly asked, receiving yet another smack with the slipper, this time, on the top of her head.

"I'm eighteen years old! I'm not a little kid! Humph!" Pinoko huffed, walking into the kitchen with a large pout on her small face.

"…Yikes. Quite a large temper for such a small girl…" Angie whispered, massaging both sore spots on her head.

"Don't mind Pinoko. Her mouth gets her into trouble. Anyways, I advise you to rest up as much as possible." Black Jack said, getting up and walking into the dining room. Angie decided to go into her room and look around a bit, maybe find something interesting. However, she grew bored with doing that after five minutes of uninteresting searching, and she flopped onto the bed.

"…Sure is quiet around here…And boring." She mumbled as she looked out the window. The sun was starting to set, casting a beautiful orange and red glow across the ocean. She could hear faint sounds coming from the dining room, with the occasional uproar from Pinoko.

"Hmm…I can see why he wanted to live here…Such a nice view…" She said, her eyelids growing heavy. She didn't know why, but she felt so tired. Angie rolled over onto her side and faced the door, tucking her arm underneath the pillow. She slowly, slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Ohmigewdness! Doc, come quick! Angie's bleeding all over the pillow!" A loud roar echoed in Angie's ears, and it sent spikes of white hot pain through her skull.

"Ohhhhhhh! Stop yelling, that hurts!" Angie moaned, bringing her hand over to rub the side of her head. However, she touched something wet and sticky. A light was turned on, and she immediately cried out in pain. Through her doubled vision, she could see that the entire pillow was soaked in red blood. Immediately, she felt her stomach churning out of fear.

"Oh my God…Oh my God. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" Angie whimpered.

"Angie, calm down. Angie!" Black Jack said softly but firmly as he turned her head.

"You're bleeding from your left ear. Pinoko, fetch a wet washcloth now!" he commanded Pinoko, who saluted and scampered out of the room.

"Doctor, I have double vision! My head hurts!" Angie whimpered, cut off by the sound of her gagging. Immediately, Black Jack had her in the bathroom across from her room and had her head in front of the toilet. A split second later, everything that she had eaten from the day before was in the bowl, her stomach and head in agonizing pain.

"Doc, don't get it on you!" Pinoko said over the sounds of Angie vomiting into the toilet.

"Pinoko, change the pillowcase and the pillow. Put them in the wash so that the blood comes out." Black Jack demanded as he patted Angie on the back to help her breathe again. When she was sure that she wouldn't throw up again, she took in some deep breaths. Black Jack handed her a tissue to wipe her mouth and nose off.

"I-I'm sorry…" She croaked as she flushed the toilet.

"It's okay. I'm used to it." He said as he led her back to her room. Pinoko had already changed the pillow and pillowcase, and there was a bowl of cold water and a washcloth on the bedside table. After changing into a patients gown (making the doctor turn around the entire time), Angie climbed into the bed, the cool sheets comforting.

She didn't even remember Black Jack rubbing her face down with the cool washcloth.


	3. Hair loss, mirrors, and sad feelings

_I still do not own any characters from Black Jack. They all belong to Osamu Tezuka. I do, however, own Angie and Derek. _

Angie visibly winced as she heard the sound of the electric razor whir to life in the small bathroom. She clutched the sheet wrapped around her shoulders as she felt the razor make contact with her bright, orange hair, giving out a whimper as she felt her hair fall to the floor.

"Pinoco, go find the broom and sweep up all the hair from the floor after I'm done." Black Jack said as he continued to run the razor through Angie's hair. The hair fell to the floor in wisps as Angie felt tears sting her eyes. _It's not fair…_Angie knew that life indeed wasn't fair, but she couldn't help but think about the injustice of it all. She had been a good person…At least in her opinion. She got good grades in school, ate right, exercised, and listened to her Dad. So, why should this happen to her?

"I'm finished, Angie." Black Jack announced as he turned off the razor. Angie, with a trembling hand, touched her now bald head, her face turning into a grimace as she felt the smooth flesh upon her head. She let out a moan once Pinoco came into the room, sweeping up all of the fallen orange hair while humming happily to herself.

"I need to run one more physical on you before the operation tonight. Come into my office." He said, taking the sheet off of her shoulders and allowing room for Angie to stand up from the chair and leave the bathroom. As she got up, however, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and she screamed in terror as she practically fell out of the bathroom.

"What? You don't look that bad." Black Jack said in slight annoyance as Angie panted heavily as Pinoco stared.

"I-it's not that! I'm…Mirrors scare me…" She said, her voice wavering and quivering as her heart thudded heavily in her chest. At her statement, Black Jack raised an eyebrow, his eyes questioning and calculating.

"You have Eisoptrophobia?" Black Jack asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, I'm not sure…Mirrors scare me because…Well, when I was little, it felt like that whenever I looked into a mirror, I wasn't seeing the real me. Like…I was seeing somebody else and not me." She said as she shook her head gently. She felt stupid for telling a complete stranger this; one that would be digging around inside of her brains tonight.

"I see. Well then, follow me, Angie." Black Jack said patiently as he led her to his office. His eyes, however, were still calculating as he ran a physical on Angie.

"Blood pressure is fine; temperature is 98.6, which is normal. Do you have a headache yet, Angie?" Black Jack asked as he carefully wrote down her blood pressure and temperature down onto a clipboard.

"Yeah, my head hurts. But it's not as bad as last night…" Angie started, but she stopped when she felt a trickling sensation on her face. It was warm and wet, and when she put her fingers up to the wetness, she saw crimson on her fingers.

"Your nose is bleeding." Black Jack said calmly as he led her to the bathroom and put her face over the sink, staining the white of the sink with red blood.

"Don't inhale through your nose or swallow. If you swallow any blood, it can irritate your stomach and cause vomiting." He said as he turned on the water faucet, flushing out the blood as Angie watched it flush down the drain. Somehow, watching the red disappear calmed her…And it made her feel like she had forgotten something. Something she had forgotten a very long time ago.

"The bleeding seems to have stopped. Just stay that way for a few minutes more just in case. When you feel that you won't bleed again, go rest up in your room. I have to prepare the operating room for tonight." Black Jack said as he left the bathroom, leaving Angie to dab at her nose with toilet paper.

_Right…I'm having my head cut open tonight…I almost forgot about that. Almost. _Angie thought dismally as she left the bathroom, heading towards her room. Upon reaching her room, however, she noticed Pinoco was in there. She paused, watching the small girl making the bed, humming softly.

"Oh, I made the bed for you. Doc said that I had to change the sheets. Are you okay?" Pinoco asked as she noticed Angie's face, steeped in sadness.

"…I'm fine." She said softly as she plopped onto the bed, not looking at the small red head. She could tell that Pinoco hadn't left, but she chose to not say anything.

"You know, Doc says that having a positive attitude before a surgery helps you recover easier. Are you scared?" Pinoco asked softly as tears stung Angie's eyes. She quickly brushed them away, ashamed that she had started to cry like a baby.

"I'm not scared! I just want to be left alone…" She said softly as she covered herself with the blanket. Pinoco got the hint and walked out of the room, gently shutting the door.

When she was sure that she was alone, Angie sat up in the bed and looked out the window at the sea. When she got tired of looking at the endless blue, she buried her face into her hands and cried softly.

_I know I shouldn't be scared, but why do I feel scared? _She thought as she wept.


	4. Surgery

_I still do not own any characters from Black Jack. They all belong to Osamu Tezuka. I do, however, own Angie and Derek._

* * *

The sound of the EKG monitor was almost deafening to Angie's ears. The operating rooms sterile white walls were blinding and harsh, almost unforgiving to Angie's overly sensitive eyes. But she wasn't really minding it all that much; the room swam interestingly in her vision as she lie on a slight recline on the operating table.

She didn't know what it was that was making her feel drowsy and light-headed, but man did it feel so _good_. Angie's head lolled to the side as she stared at the EKG monitor, the lines on it seemingly jumping out at her and waving all around her head.

"Angie? Honey, it's me." A voice called out to her, and she turned her head to look at where it came from. Three figures, two tall and one incredibly short, came into the operating room. They looked funny; their faces and heads were covered, and they wore long gowns and gloves.

"...H'lo..." Angie murmured as one of the figures came closer to her, stroking her bald head with rubber-clad gloves. She could only see his blue eyes, and she could tell that he had smiled.

"Hi, Angie... Listen, you're going to be just fine. Dr. Black Jack will take good care of you, okay? I'll be here when you wake up, alright?" Angie realized faintly that the man stroking her head was her father, and she blinked stupidly.

"...Kay..." She said as Pinoco ushered him out of the room. Angie was faintly aware that her upper body was being tilted lower and lower until she was lying completely horizontal on her back.

"How are you feeling, Angie?" Black Jack asked as he reduced the incline on the operating table. Angie looked at him, her eyes drowsy and unfocused. No doubt the mannitol was starting to kick in.

"...I'm goin' fer a ride..." Angie slurred as Pinoco struggled to drape a surgical curtain over Angie. Black Jack gave a wry smile beneath his white mask as he tilted her head to the side, the parietal area exposed to him.

"I guess you could say that you are. Pinoco, fetch the Twilight Anesthesia. Angie," Black Jack said as Angie wearily looked up at him. "I'm going to administer the anesthetic. You'll be in the Level Two phase of sedation, meaning that you'll still be able to communicate with me and Pinoco. Although it's not usually required, I'm going to put you on oxygen." Black Jack said as he placed a clear mask over Angie's nose and mouth. Angie was aware that air was flowing into her lungs.

"Here, Doc!" Pinoco said as she handed Black Jack a vial of milky fluid. Black Jack took the vial from Pinoco and walked over to the IV stand.

"You'll probably feel very cold in a few moments. Don't worry if you do." Black Jack said as he injected the milky fluid into the IV chamber. True to his word, a chill ran through Angie and she shuddered.

The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes was Black Jack, towering over her with hands raised, ready to operate.

* * *

"_Can you hear me...? Angie, can you hear me?" _The voice that was so familiar seemed so very far away from where she was... It was like she was across a canyon, the owner on the other side shouting at her.

She opened her eyes, aware of the fact that only a small portal to the outside world was visible to her. A sheet had been draped over her head, and there was somebody looking into her world.

"Hi, Angie! How are you feeling?" Pinoco asked as she watched the girl slowly open her eyes. Her eyes looked faint and cloudy as she stared at Pinoco.

"Doc just cut away your dura! That's the stuff that covers your brain! Don't worry, he'll close it later! Right now, he wants me to ask you some questions!" Pinoco said all too cheerfully. Angie blinked tiredly at the small girl, trying so hard to understand what was going on.

Up above, Black Jack was maneuvering carefully around the parietal area with thin metal instruments. He had to work carefully; one slip, one little screw up, and he could seriously hurt Angie, or worse...

"What is your name? Can you tell me?" Pinoco asked quietly. Angie closed her eyes for a few moments before whispering her answer.

"...Cybil...Carter..." She whispered faintly, her answer almost lost over the bleeping of the EKG monitor and the hiss of the oxygen mask. Pinoco's eyebrows furrowed at her answer.

"Doc..." Pinoco said. Black Jack had indeed heard Angie's answer, and it was quite unusual.

"Continue on, Pinoco. Record everything she says." Black Jack said as he continued to delicately search for the tumor. _A red, inflamed mass of tissue. That's what I need to find. I probably need to use a laser scalpel when I find it. _Black Jack thought as sweat beaded on his brow. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about Angie moving her body or head; she had been restrained to the table, and her head was in a three-pin skull fixation device. He had removed a bone flap from her skull via craniotomy, and had cut the dura away from the brain.

"Who is your father? Who is your mother?" Pinoco asked carefully, wondering what Angie was going to answer next. Angie again closed her eyes, as if thinking was the greatest chore in the world.

"...I don't...Know... I... I was... left at an... orphanage..." Angie answered quietly. Again, Pinoco's eyebrows furrowed, but she wrote it down in her childish handwriting.

"Pinoco, wipe my forehead." Black Jack said as he knelt down to Pinoco's level. Pinoco obediently sponged the sweat away from his forehead, her eyes showing clear confusion.

"She said that her name was... Cybil Carter... And that she didn't know who her father or her mother were. Does it say in her files that she was an orphan, Doc?" Pinoco asked as she went back over to where Angie was.

"Ah ha... Found it. Pinoco, continue on." Black Jack ordered as he picked up the laser scalpel. He had to be careful not to cut away actual brain matter, and he had to be careful to not leave behind too much of the tumor. The mass was red and inflamed, angry looking in the sea of gray brain tissue.

"Angie... what are some words that begin with the letter "B"?" Pinoco asked. Angie didn't open her eyes, but answered softly.

"...Ball...Bell...Bat...Boy...Base..." Angie said, falling silent after a few moments.

"Pinoco! Suction!" Black Jack ordered suddenly. Pinoco got up from her place and quickly handed him the suction tube. She hid a grimace as blood flowed through the tube.

"BP is kind of low... Heart rate seems alright... Pinoco, ready a jar of formaldehyde! It's coming out now!" Black Jack said as he seized the now-severed tumor with forceps. Pinoco rushed over with the jar of fluid as Black Jack carefully lifted the angry mass from the folds of Angie's brain. Angie had since fallen silent, choosing to stay asleep.

"Take care of that. I need to suction out more blood and fluids, then I'll suture up the dura and replace the bone flap. Ready the surgical drill, Pinoco." Black Jack said as he suctioned out more fluids.

"Aye aye, Doc!" Pinoco said with a salute, storing the tumor into the medical refrigerator. The drill was heavy in her hands as she brought it over to Black Jack.

"Suturing the dura. Heart rate is normal at this time, blood pressure is a bit low still." Pinoco heard him say more to himself then anything.

"What happens once you get her skull put back together?" Pinoco asked in curiosity. She had never witnessed a craniotomy before in her short life.

"I'll suture the muscles and skin back together, wrap her head in an adhesive dressing, and I'll start her up on narcotic painkillers, antibiotics, and an anticonvulsant drug. I'll have to keep an eye out for her to make sure that she doesn't have any seizures." He answered simply as he picked up a screw and a plate for the bone flap. Pinoco winced lightly at the whirring of the drill. She only let her breath go when she knew for sure that Black Jack was done screwing the plates into place.

"We're almost done. You can rest now if you like for a few minutes. I'll have you take the anesthesia off in a few minutes." Black Jack said as he worked carefully and quietly with the sutures. Pinoco sat down gratefully on a nearby chair, pondering over what Angie had said.

"Doc... What are you going to do about her answers?" Pinoco said quietly from her spot on the chair. Black Jack paused for a moment before resuming the suturing.

"I have my suspicions, Pinoco. I noticed something during her pre-op examination. Something interesting." He said as he continued. Pinoco's interest was peaked at this point.

"What? What did you see?" Pinoco asked as she climbed down from the chair. She took the vial of anesthetic off of the IV, disposing it into the biohazard receptacle. She watched as Black Jack carefully removed Angie's head from the device. She did not stir once as he wrapped her head in a thick, white bandage, turban style.

"It said in her medical records that she had an appendectomy procedure when she was seven years old." He said as he wrapped the bandage round and round and round.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Pinoco asked as he finished up, securing the end. He shut off the light and looked at Pinoco.

"While I was giving her her examination, I noticed it." He said as he draped a blanket over Angie's body.

"Noticed what, Doc?" Pinoco said in curious frustration.

"If she had an appendectomy when she was a child, then why didn't she have a scar on her abdomen?"

* * *

_Wow! I haven't updated this fic in... Holy mother of all burritos! I haven't updated in two years! I apologize for the severe lack of update; my father has lung cancer, so I've devoted a vast majority of my time taking care of him. So hopefully, I can start updating more! Again, sorry for the severe lack of updates! _


	5. Busted

_I still do not own any characters from Black Jack. They all belong to Osamu Tezuka. I do, however, own Angie and Derek._

* * *

_My head... My head hurts... Why does my head hurt so much...?_

Angie struggled to open her eyes. They felt like they were dead-weights, and didn't want to open. It wasn't like in the movies and on television where the patient opened their eyes and people surrounded them with presents, balloons and smiles. No, it _hurt _Angie to try and open her eyes.

When she finally did succeed in opening them, the world was glaringly bright and offensive to her eyes. Her head pounded without mercy against her skull, the oxygen mask making her mouth feel dry and fuzzy.

"...Guh..." Angie tried to speak; her tongue was so dry and uncooperative. She tried to move, but found herself restrained to her bed. A faint beeping sound filled her ears, and she realized that she was still hooked up to the EKG monitor. She wanted to cry at it all; she couldn't move, couldn't speak, and her head was so unbelievably sore.

Somebody was shining a light in her eyes. Angie grimaced and could have sworn that she said the word, "No" while attempting to shake her head.

"Hold still. Watch this light. Follow it." A familiar voice said as the owner held her head still. Angie obediently followed the offensive light with her eyes. Once it shut off, she closed her eyes, willing away the shadows that lingered in her vision as best as she could over the horrendous pounding in her brain.

"What is your name?" Angie suddenly remembered that the person talking to her was Doctor Black Jack, and she weakly opened her eyes. He was standing over her, a mask on his face and gloves on his hands.

"...An...gie..." Angie croaked as she shut her eyes again; thinking and speaking hurt her too much. She was dimly aware that he was loosening the straps that were across her body, and he was pulling the white blankets away from her.

"Can you move your arms?" Angie moved her arms weakly, feeling like they were filled with lead.

"Try to move your fingers." Again, Angie did as she was told. She felt like she was about to throw up from the pain. She wanted to shut her eyes and sleep, to block out everything that was trying to hurt her.

"Now your toes and legs." Angie wanted to scream in frustration, but she moved her legs and toes. She was relieved when he placed the blanket back over her; she was starting to feel cold as ice. Angie didn't even care that he was tightening the restraints again.

"How are you feeling? Any pain?" Black Jack asked as he pulled a chair up next to her bed. Angie opened her eyes once again and stared at the doctor for a few seconds.

"Head... My head hurts... I wanna...throw up..." Angie whispered faintly as she closed her eyes. Her head felt heavy too.

"That's to be expected, but I'll give you something for the nausea. You're still coming down from the anesthesia, so you might feel sick." Black Jack said as he injected something into the IV chamber. He sat back down and looked her over, writing something down on a clipboard.

"I have some good news for you, though; I managed to remove the entire tumor from your brain. I'm waiting for the results of the biopsy, so it'll take a while. I had to send it to a hospital to get a biopsy done on it." Black Jack said, giving the smallest of smiles from behind his mask. Angie looked at him quietly for a few moments before speaking.

"...So...I'm not...Going to die...?" Angie said, her faint voice having the smallest amount of relief hidden within it. Angie didn't even remember the surgery... Did he really do it?

"I'm not sure about that. If it's benign, then you'll live a long life. It was quite large and inflamed when I removed it." Black Jack said as he wrote something down. Angie grew quiet as she again closed her eyes in relief.

"You'll have your sutures removed in about seven to ten days, depending. I would have done this at the hospital, but I didn't want to risk you contracting MRSA." Black Jack said, standing up and stowing the clipboard underneath his arm.

"I'll come back to check on you later; right now, I need to speak with your father." Black Jack said, closing the door behind himself as he left the room. Angie didn't even hear him; she had fallen back asleep.

* * *

"Doctor! How is she? How is my Angie?" Derek said as Black Jack walked into the living room. Derek's face was pale and filled with worry as he stood up from the sofa. Black Jack remained silent as he motioned for Derek to sit back down. Derek sat down reluctantly as Black Jack settled himself into his armchair.

"She's fine. Her heart rate is stable, she answered all of my questions, and she was able to move her limbs. But you know, something _very _interesting happened while we were in the operating room." Black Jack said as he reclined back a bit. Derek breathed a visible sigh of relief.

"O-oh? What happened? Is she okay?" Derek said as some color came back to his face.

"That depends; while we were in there, I was talking to somebody else. Somebody named Cybil Carter. Does that name ring any bells, Mr. Greene?" Black Jack asked Derek as he stared at him. Black Jack watched as the color once again drained from Derek's face, a fine sweat beginning to bead across his forehead.

"Ah... I've never heard of that name before in my life. Maybe that's one of Angie's friends..." Derek said as he gave a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head. His body language was that of nervousness.

"Don't lie to me, Mr. Greene. I know that you know who Cybil Carter is. Angie said that was her name during the operation, and she said that she didn't know who her mother _or _her father was. She claimed that she had been left at an orphanage. Now how do you suppose she came up with that story...?" Black Jack questioned softly, dangerously.

"S-she was under anesthesia, doctor! People say crazy things while under anesthesia!" Derek said, his face flushing as the sweat became more prominent on his brow.

"Speaking of anesthesia and surgeries, Angie's medical records indicated that she had received an appendectomy surgery when she was seven years old. You want to know the funny thing, Derek? Before I give any major operation to a patient, I give them a pre-op examination. When I gave Angie her's, I found no surgical scar on the McBurney's Point, or the area where the appendix is located and extracted from. How could she have had an appendectomy with no scar present?" Black Jack said quietly as he looked over at Derek. Derek was visibly nervous at this point, squirming in his seat, his eyes darting around the room.

"Also, when I shaved her hair off, her roots were not red; they were _blonde_. That red hair of hers is nothing more than dyed hair. I suspect that when it grows back, her hair will be a nice shade of blonde. I managed to pull your medical record from your hospital back in the states, and I compared your blood type to hers." Black Jack said as he crossed one leg over the other. Derek froze, his eyes wide as his mouth gaped open and closed. Black Jack decided to prolong the moment and light up his pipe, taking a few puffs of it before speaking again. His brown eyes fell upon Derek's.

"She has absolutely no genetic relation to you. Your blood type and her blood type are completely different from each other. In other words, Mr. Greene," Black Jack paused again to puff on his pipe.

"Angela Greene is _not _your daughter."

* * *

_Short update, I know, but it's finals week and it's been one Hell of a week, let me tell you. Oh well, I suppose this is better than nothing! _

_Also, some are wondering what Angie looks like, so I did a quick (and pretty awful, in my honest opinion) sketch of her and Pinoco. Not bad for my first attempt at anime/manga, I guess. Just remove **ALL **of the spaces to access the picture!  
_

_http : / / i 1 8 1 . photobucket . com / albums / x 276 / tori - chan 80779 / Angie Pinoco . jpg_


	6. Confession of Sins

_I still do not own any characters from Black Jack. They all belong to Osamu Tezuka. I do, however, own Angie and Derek._

* * *

"Why don't you tell me your deep, dark, dirty little secret, Derek Greene?" Black Jack asked as he narrowed his eyes at the man before him. Derek had broken out into a full sweat as he tried in vain to stare the doctor down. The moment he averted his eyes, Black Jack knew he had won.

"…" Derek started, but closed his mouth, looking at the room where Angie was resting. The fear that was in his eyes clearly told Black Jack that he was afraid that Angie would hear.

"Don't worry about her; she's still quite hazy and tired from the anesthetic. She won't hear you." Black Jack said coldly as he reclined further in his chair. Derek gave a shaky sort-of sigh as he looked down at his feet.

"You're right, doctor; that girl in there isn't my daughter. We're not blood-related whatsoever." Derek started as he wrung his hands together. Black Jack raised an eyebrow, silently prompting Derek to continue.

"My real daughter… The "real" Angie… She's been dead for over seven years now. Before that, though… She was such a beautiful, sweet little girl. As you know, my wife died around that same time too. But… She is the reason my child, my precious Angie, is dead…" Derek said quietly as he continued to stare down at his feet.

"My wife suffered from something called Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy-" Derek stated, Black Jack cutting him off.

"A very controversial illness, Mr. Greene. It's very similar to Münchausen Syndrome, in which one fakes an illness or makes themselves sick in order to gain attention. Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy involves one still seeking attention, but in a much darker way; they will hurt _their own child _in order to get the attention that they want. They'll even make their child get sick." Black Jack stated as he took another puff of his pipe. He was quite familiar with Münchausen Syndrome (Lord knows how many patients he had come into his house faking an illness or an injury), and knew that Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy was controversial since the medical and mental health communities couldn't decide if they wanted to label it a mental illness or not.

"Yes, doctor. And it _is _true that my wife did suffer from leukemia and _did _die from it. But that didn't stop her. She felt that the attention she was getting wasn't enough. So she…" Derek paused and wiped at his eyes for a moment, taking a shaky breath. "She would… _hurt _Angie. She would push her down the stairs, feed her food that had spoiled or cleaning chemicals, slap her, punch her, rip her hair out… She once took a hot curling iron to her hand… And held it there for the longest time…" Derek sniffled as he once again wiped his eyes.

"I was always rushing Angie to the hospital, and my wife would insist upon going with us. She would say how she tried desperately to wrench the iron out of Angie's hand, or that Angie had fallen down the stairs. And they never once thought that my wife was the one who was doing it. Once, Angie broke her arm from being pushed down the stairs. But she never said that her mother was doing it… I never stopped her from doing it either…" Derek said ashamedly.

"Why on earth not? You saw what your wife was doing to your child; why not stop her?" Black Jack asked impassively.

"Because my wife was so sick; I didn't want her spending the rest of her days in prison!" Derek said as he stared at Black Jack. He breathed through his nose for a few moments before continuing on.

"So one day, I came home from work. I was late and it was night when I came home. The house was very quiet; Angie would usually run up to me and give me a hug whenever I came home, no matter what time it was. So I knew something was very wrong. I went upstairs to check and see if she was sleeping, and when I got to her bedroom… I found her mother there, sitting in the rocking chair that we had kept from when Angie was born. And on the floor…" Derek paused, tears streaming freely from his eyes.

"There was so much blood on the carpet and on my wife… And she was holding a knife in her hand. There was blood on the blade of the knife, and I knew… Before she could say anything, I ran into our bedroom because I saw a trail of blood leading me there, and there she was… My poor Angie, lying dead on my bedroom floor! She had fallen on her front, blood seeping from her body into the carpet! Her eyes were still open, but no life was in them! _My wife killed my own child!_" Derek sobbed as he buried his face into his hands. Black Jack remained silent as he watched the sobbing man. Derek sobbed for several more minutes before he continued on.

"She had stabbed Angie as she was getting ready for bed. She claimed that Angie had taken a knife up to her room, and that she had tried to stop her, causing Angie to stab herself. But I knew better! Angie wouldn't have hurt herself! My wife was the one who stabbed her and killed her! Angie had fallen onto her bedroom floor at first from shock, and then tried to crawl to my room. She made it and she bled to death in my room! Angie had died alone and afraid, and I wasn't there to help her!" Derek sobbed once more.

"I can only assume that you didn't call the police." Black Jack said matter-of-factly as he crossed his legs. Derek shook his head.

"I couldn't; I couldn't have my dying wife die in prison for murder! Do you _know _what prisoners do to child-killers? She would have been killed before the leukemia took her! So I had an idea to save my wife's reputation…" Derek coughed and sniffled for a few moments before taking a deep breath.

"I went to an orphanage to find a child that looked exactly like my Angie. It wasn't easy, mind you. But I finally found one in Germany. She was the spitting image of Angie, except for one thing." Derek said quietly.

"She was a blonde, not a red-head like your Angie." Black Jack finished for him as he set his pipe down. Derek nodded solemnly.

"Yes. This child was apparently abandoned there in Germany. She spoke English, but just barely. But her parents… They apparently dumped her there and went back to the United States. And her name… Her name was Cybil Carter. So I took the child home, and I dyed her hair. She wasn't happy about it, but I found a way around that when the time came to dye her hair. I used Benzodiazepine in her drinks when I needed to dye her hair. I had to be careful, though." Derek said quietly.

"That would make you just as bad as your wife; drugging your child just so that you could dye her hair." Black Jack said coldly. Derek ignored that jab and continued.

"I had to convince her that her name was Angela "Angie" Greene. It wasn't easy, but it eventually happened. I forced her to bury her memories of the orphanage and Germany, of her past life." Derek said softly. Black Jack remained still as he continued to watch Derek with scrutinizing eyes.

"Eventually, my wife passed away from the leukemia. Cybil had only been home with us for about three months before she died. And I kept my wife away from Cybil; I wouldn't have her killing another child for her own desire for attention. We buried Angie in the woods behind our house and cleaned up all traces of blood. Had all of the carpets replaced, even the ones Angie hadn't bled on. After that… Life was so good. Cybil was happy being "Angie" and I loved her just as much as I had loved Angie." Derek said, giving a shaky smile, his eyes red from crying.

"But then she was diagnosed with that brain tumor two months ago, and I _knew_. I _had _to save Angie, no matter what the cost was. I was not going to lose another daughter! I _**wasn't**_!" Derek said, slamming his fist down onto the coffee table.

"And that's why you brought her to me. Even though she wasn't your real daughter, you couldn't bear the thought of losing another daughter. Despite all of your lies, your deceit, your _cowardliness_, you wanted her to live. Although you think that you did the right thing, you didn't. You hid a murder. You allowed your child to die instead of telling somebody the truth. You robbed her of her childhood by not allowing her to be saved. And now you've robbed another one of the life she deserved. I don't appreciate lying and deceitfulness, Mr. Greene." Black Jack said coldly as he stood up from his chair. Derek immediately felt panic grip him.

"Wait! You're not going to tell Angie, are you?" He said as he watched Black Jack slip on another mask and gloves. The two men stood still for the longest time, Black Jack not turning around to face him.

"No, I'm not. Only you can do that, Mr. Greene. Only you can repent the crimes that you have committed." Black Jack said as he slipped into the room to check on "Angie".

Derek knew that Black Jack was right. He knew that he should have told the truth.

_But what will that mean for **me**? _


	7. Author's Note

I would like to apologize to everybody for not updating sooner.

As it was stated in Chapter 4, my father was suffering from lung cancer and he was currently undergoing chemotherapy.

Unfortunately, he passed away on June 29th, 2012 at 6:00 AM while in Hospice Care. It had all started with a fall that he had at home, he was taken to the hospital, and in less than a month, his mind deteriorated and he passed away. I was there and I held onto his hand as he took his last breath on that sad morning.

I've tried writing the next chapter, and I plan on dedicating it to him when I _**do **_have the emotional strength to do so. I promise you that _**this story is not dead**_. I feel really bad for leaving you all hanging, and I can only hope that you understand as you read this.

I only wish that there was a real Doctor Black Jack. Maybe if there was one, he could have saved my father. I would have given him everything I had and more if it could have saved him.


End file.
